Method of and means for making synthetic amphibolic products



May 26, 19351. e. E. SEIL 1,807,178

METHOD OF AND MEANS F'QR MAKING SYNTHETIC AMPHIBOLIC PRODUCTS FiledApril 11, 1950 1b \jgll WW7 0/13 @LBERT if SE/L,

Patented May 26, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GILBERT E. SEIL, OFCONSHOHOCKEN, PENNSYLVANIA Application filed April. 11,

This invention relates to methods and means of the general characterdescribed and claimed in my application Serial No. 99,077 filed April 1.1926, .for Letters Patent of the United States for improvement in methods of subdividing material, which are characterized by the subjectionof the material in a liquid form to the action of a vacuum whichdisrupts it; such vacuum being formed within an annular stream of gaswhich is directed parallel with the flow of the stream of the liquid tobe disrupted, at the region of disruption, as distinguished frommet-hods and means of the prior art wherein a stream of gas is directedto a focus at the axis of the stream at such region of disruption. Theeffect of the latter arrangement, of the prior art, is to create a backpressure upon the mate-rial which it is desired to comminute, and thusretard the operation of dis ruption, whereas, the effect of my inventionis to produce a high degree of vacuum at the region of disruption, forinstance, a vacuum which will sustain a column of mercury eighteeninches in height, and to consequently greatly facilitate and expeditethe comminution of the material; so that apparatus of the characterherein claimed has a much larger capacity for roduction of comminutedmaterial than devices of the same size constructed in accordance withthe prior art. The efiect of the creation of such a vacuum in the zoneat the orifice through which the material to be comminute d isdelivered, is that said material ceases to exist as a homogeneous streamwhen it reaches that orifice; the material composing the streamv beingtorn into a multitude of fine particles which are instantly drawn intothe surrounding annular gas stream, wherein they are rapidly chilled.The disruptive effect is such that'no stream of said material is visibleat the mouth of the orifice; the material being disintegrated before itpasses beyond the orifice.

It is an object and effect of my present invention to artificiallyproduce filaments and other structural forms of the various min- "eralsclassed as amphibole and includingthe, various forms of asbestos, fromthe finest va- 1930. Serial N0. 443,275.

riety of white amiantus known as fossil flax and characterized byfilaments resembling fine silk or cotton staple, to other forms of suchminerals which are characterized by shorter and less elastic fibres andwhich may 65. be colored gray, green, brown, red, or black, in semblanceof the natural color of such minerals.

Such natural minerals are characterized by the association of silicaWith basic oxides in the form of silicates of calcium and magnesium inthe lighter colored varieties and with the inclusion of oxidesofaluminum and iron in the darker varieties, with manganese oxide in somevarieties and, less commonly, oxides of sodium and potassium.

In other words, the purpose and effect of my invention are to formartificial filaments of silicate of calcium and magnesium with orwithout the addition of the other constituents of natural minerals ofthe amphibolic group. As hereinafter described, such raw materials arereduced to liquid form, for instance, by fusing them, and a stream ofsuch liquid is educed by and with an annular stream of compressed air,or othergas, with the .efiect of diminishing the pressure at thedischarge end of the stream of liquefied ma-,/ terial, by the dischargeof the high pressure gas at high velocity in said surrounding stream ofgas; so that such high velocity is imparted to said stream of material,in that region of diminished pressure, that it is automatically shreddedinto filaments, which are immediately solidified. The dimensions of suchfilaments are variable in accordance with the relative volumes andvelocities of said two streams. The flexibility, elasticity, color andother characteristics thereof are determined by the nature of thecomposition of the liquid from which they are formed.

My invention includesthe various novel features of construction,arrangement and procedure hereinafter more definitely specified. In saiddrawing; the pipe 1 forms a conduit for the liquid 2 from which thefilaments 3 are to be formed, and has, at its discharge end, theoutwardly flared ejector throat tube 5 and means forming a compressedair, steam,

or other gas port 6 leading to said conduit.- Said gas port 6' ispreferably annular and formed between the inner wall of said throat tube5 and an annular flange 8 extending within said throat.

Said throat tube 5 and flange 8 are carried by respective separablecasing members 10 and 11, forming a gas pressure chamber 12 between themwhen assembled as shown. Said member 11 has means, including the screwthreaded openings 14 and 15, conveniently at diametrically oppositeedges thereof, for connection with respective pipes 16 and 17 which thusform conduits for compressed air or gas leading to said chamber 12.

Said separable casing members 10 and 11 are conveniently circular, inconcentric relation with said conduit 1, and may be held in theassembled position shown by means of a circular series of bolts 19extending through both of said members and provided with nuts 20.

The structure shown-may be utilized to effeet the process abovecontemplated by supplying the liquefied composition 2 for the filamentsthrough the conduit 1; conveniently by gravitativ e flow from a cruciblein which it hasbeen fused. Atmospheric air, under suitable pressure,say, forty pounds per square inch, may be supplied through either orboth of said'conduits 16 and 17 forming a tubular stream of such air orgas flowing through said port 6 around, and parallel with the axis-of,the stream of liquid 2 flowing through saidthroat 5. The effect of thepressure and expansion of said stream of air or other gas is to create apartial vacuum within it which primarily educes the flow of said liquidand thereafter shreds it to form the filaments 3, the dimensions ofwhich are Variable in accordance with the pressure of the fluid upon theliquid and the composition of the latter. Said filaments are immediatelysolidified upon their separation from the stream of the liquid 2 and maybe caught in a suitable receptacle 21 set in spaced relation with thebottom of the structure shown.

The synthetic amphibolic products aforesaid may be used for any purposefor which the natural products are adapted, for instance, as ingredientsof heat refractory or flame resist-ant compositions. However, myinvention is applicable to any other material which may be liquefied andsolidified; for instance, glass. It may be advantageously employed tocomminute chemicals such as so dium silicate to such form as to increasethe superficial anea and consequent solubility thereof, as compared withthe lump or granular forms in which such chemicals are ordinarilyprepared for connnerce.

Although I have found it convenient to supply the liquid material underatmospheric pressure only; it may be introduced to the Stream of airunder greater or lesser pressure,

by any suitable means; and although I have suggested forty pounds persquare inch as a suitable pressure of the air, steam, or other gas whichis to be used to comminute the li uid material aforesaid, the pressureof suc fluid may be more or less, and in fact may be several hundredpounds per square inch in accordance with the viscosity of the liquidand the comminuted form desired for the product.

1 Moreover, it is to be understood that apparatus for ejectingconcentric streams of liquid and gas at high velocity in a directionwhich is initially substantially parallel to the axis of,

the liquid stream may be otherwise formed and arranged, and such meansarebroadly claimed in my copending application Serial No. 99,077 i andthe progress of the moltenmaterial into the apparatus is not onlyeffected by the force of gravity, but accelerated by the diminishedpressure in the region of the annular orifice 6. The present form isadvantageous in that the liquid cannot clog the discharge throat,-because the area thereof increases in the direction of the flow of thematerial.

Therefore,'I do not desire to limit myself to the precise details ofconstruction, arrange ment or procedure herein contemplated, as it isobvious that various modifications may be made therein without departingfrom the essential features of my invention, as defined in the appendedclaims.

I claim:

1. The method of making synthetic amphibolic filaments, resemblingcotton staple, in form, which consists in progressing a stream of moltenliquid calcium and magnesium silicate within and by a tubular stream ofcompressedgas released to the atmosphere and moving, with accelerated(velocity, in coaxial relation with said stream of liquid, and at suchgreater velocity than said liquid as to create a partial vacuum withinsaid stream of gas, and impart such accelerated velocity to the liquidstream as to in'nnediately shred it into filaments; said stream ofliquid being initially in spaced relation with said stream of gas andsurrounded by a zone of atmospheric air, serving to heat insulate itfrom the means for lirecting said stream of gas, and inducing, by theaccelerated ve locity of said gas stream, the.fiow of'said atmosphericair around and with said liquid into the region of said partial vacuum,and

contemporaneously cooling and discharging said filaments in solid formby the combined action of said streams of compressed gas and atmosphericair.

2. A method as in claim 1; wherein the size and form of the filaments,of a given composition, is variable by and in accordance with variationsin the gas pressure. t

3. Mean-s for effecting the method specified; including a conduit forthe liquid; an ejector throat tube at the discharge end of said conduit,longitudinally spaced from'said conduit within the range of its vacuumproducing effect and in radially spaced relation therewith, affording apassageway for treated gases between said conduit and said tube parallelwith the axis thereof; said ejector throat tube being parallel with theaxis of said conduit at its end adjoining said conduit and outwardlyflared at its end remote from said conduit.

4. Means as in claim 3; forming an annular gas passageway in concentricrelation with the axis of said conduit and throat, and opening into theflared portion of the latter.

5. Means as in claim 3, including concentric rigidly connected butaxially separable casing members in axial and radial spaced relationwith said conduit; said casing member axially remote from said conduitincluding said outwardly flaring throat tube having a hollow conicalwall with a cylindrical portion at its end nearest said conduit; saidother casing member, nearest said conduit, having a cylindrical flangeconcentric and parallel with the axis of: said conduit and extendingoutwardly from the latter into said throat, in radially spaced relationtherewith and forming an annular passage for the compressed gas; saidcasing members forming between them an annular chamber for saidcompressed gas; and a compressed gas supply conduit rigidly connectedwith said casing member adjoining said conduit and in communication withsaid gas chamber.

6. Means as in claim 8; including concentric rigidly connected butaxially separable casing members in axial and radial spaced relationwith said conduit; said casing member axially remote from said conduitincluding said outwardly flaring throat tube having a hollow conicalwall with a cylindrical portion at its end nearest said conduit; saidother casing member, nearest said conduit,

having a cylindrical flange concentric and parallel with the axis ofsaid conduit and extending outwardly from the latter into said throat,in radially spaced relation therewith and forming an annular passage forthe compressed gas; said casing membersforming between them an annularchamber for said compressed gas; and a compressed gas supply conduitrigidly connected with said casing member adjoining said conduit and incommunication with said gas chamber; said casing members being circularin concentric relation with said conduit, and having a series into saidrecess; whereby said casing mem bers are positioned in concentricrelation; and a series of bolts extending through said casing membersand provided with nuts adapted to rigidly connect said casing mem bers.

8. Means as in claim 3, including two casing members in coaxial relationwith said conduit; one of said casing members having a recess forming agas chamber with a circular outlet in. coaxialrelationwith said conduit;the other of said casing members having a circular projection fittinginto said circular outlet, in concentric spaced relation therewith; andmeans securing said casing members in relatively stationary position;whereby gas directed from said chamber in a circular tubular streamparallel with the axis of the liquid stream from said conduit.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my name at PlymouthMeeting, Pennsylvania, this twenty-second day of March, 1930. I GILBERTE. SEIL.

